The present invention relates to the field of asset management and, more particularly, to performing a faceted search upon assets packaged according to the Reusable Asset Specification (RAS).
Conventional keyword or textual searches are commonplace among many software applications. However, such searches lack flexibility and require that a user enter an exact word or phrase in order to find the desired document or item. Thus, a new approach to searching large catalogs of related items has emerged called a faceted search. Common areas where faceted searches are found are in large Web-based storefronts, where a customer can adjust product search results based on price categories or brands.
The business area of asset management typically collects a large quantity of corporate assets. At present, asset management systems only support keyword and/or textual-based searches. The usability and efficiency of an asset management system could be greatly improved by the introduction of a faceted search capability.
Unlike conventional keyword and textual searches, a faceted search allows a user to broaden and/or narrow the scope of their search based upon an underlying set of hierarchical relationships between terms. The underlying set of hierarchical relationships and associated terms is typically in the form of an ontology. Although effective, the ontology often consists of a large quantity of complex relationships, which typically requires a time-consuming manual process to develop and maintain.